NanoSmart · Smart nanosystems for advanced cancer therapy

Advances in the preparation of nanotechnology-based materials in medical science pose new challenges in the design of smart nanodevices capable of meeting clinical needs. These systems are called to solve the issues associated to a non-specific delivery of drugs, which lead to the failure of a large number of treatments for oncological diseases.A selective and safe carrier for drug delivery should be actively targeted to malignant cells and display a stimulus-responsive behavior controlled by external means. The present project is aimed at developing targeted delivery vehicles able to release the required dose of chemotherapeutics in response to local temperature increases. For this purpose, an emerging technology based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and high intensity focused ultrasounds (HIFU), MRI-guided HIFU, will be combined with selective nanomedicine to provide a full spatial and temporal control of the release process. This novel MRI-assisted triggered drug delivery allows improving the performance of chemotherapy and better monitoring the regression of disease.The research project is built around two main objectives: 1) the design and synthesis of novel biocompatible thermosensitive carriers based on inorganic-organic hybrid nanospheres with targeting nanobody moieties, and 2) the in vitro and in vivo evaluation of MRI-guided HIFU-triggered drug release. This proposal represents a unique opportunity in the context of nanotheragnostics for tailored chemotherapy, and means a significant step towards its clinical translation.The project is in the core of 2 of the 10 themes of the FP7 Cooperation Program, Health and Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials & New Production Technologies. This research in smart drug delivery nanodevices constitutes a highly multidisciplinary approach with large impact in near future advanced therapies and with a great chance for collaboration and networking between European groups and industrial partners.